Joe Versus The Volcano Film Analysis

797 Words4 Pages
Wyatt Stewart Mrs. Yearty English 101 12/5/11 Joe versus the Volcano Symbolism Joe versus the Volcano is a low budget film with horrible screenplay, acting, and special effects. However, this film holds a deeper meaning than most other blockbuster films. Joe Banks is a troubled, lonesome factory worker on Staten Island. The factory houses harsh working conditions, and is comparable to a factory of the industrial era of the late eighteen-hundreds. Joe begins a journey across the world to end his life by the means of jumping into a fearsome volcano. Joe encounters life changing events, including an epiphany that turns him to seeking God and his glory. During Joe’s adventure he encounters many symbols that are not as simple as they appear. Among these symbols are jagged path shaped like a lightning bolt, a pure, white, daisy sprout, and a grass doll the chief of the Waponis owns. What are the true significances of the jagged path, the daisy, and the doll? The symbol of the jagged path occurs most frequently during Joe’s experiences after he becomes aware of his gradual death due to a brain cloud. The shape of the path mimics that of lightning, and in one occurrence of the movie is literally a lightning bolt as it strikes Joe’s naval vessel and sinks it. The path seems to appear in each event that leads to a dramatic event. The symbol first appears as the path leading into the factory Joe is employed at. The jagged path includes many sharp corners, and begins wide and ends narrow. The path seems to go on for eternity from a distance, but in the end we know it must take Joe somewhere. This path relates to the path we take through life. This path is not a physical path, but still a path nonetheless. Throughout our lives we face troubles and hardships. These hardships cause our lives to be like the “jagged path” causing indecisions, and dire consequences. The path
Open Document